Marina High’s Adam Hayward

Mike Sciacca, Independent

As they celebrated the game’s lone touchdown during last Friday’s

12-3 conquest of Paramount High, Marina junior running back/linebacker

Adam Hayward reminded his teammates that this was what the Vikings had

been working for during those hot summer months. But, at the same time,

Hayward urged his teammates to stay focused the remainder of the game.

In the early stages of the season opener, Marina’s offense was going

nowhere fast, but late in the first quarter, Hayward burst up the middle

for a 20-yard gain on just his second carry of the night, a spark which

helped the Vikings establish their running game.

The run was instrumental in setting up Marina’s game-tying field goal.

“I just started to find my groove at that point, and that (20-yard)

run felt great,” said the Independent’s Player of the Week. “I told our

line that this is what we had been working hard for during preseason

practice. I was just glad I could do what I could do, in order to help us

get the win.”

Hayward finished with 56 yards on 10 carries, but he could have had

more had a nifty 36-yard touchdown run down the Marina sideline not been

nullified due to a clipping call.

“Things like that happen,” he offered. “There’s nothing you can do on

calls like that - except go out and try to do it again.”

Offensive production wasn’t the only facet of the game where Hayward

contributed.

He, along with Inoke Tukia, controlled things at linebacker, finishing

with three unassisted and four assisted tackles, two tackles for loss,

and delivered a pair of big hits.

Whether it’s on offense or defense, it doesn’t matter - I just want to

play,” said Hayward, who also runs the 100 and 200 for the Marina track

team. “I’ll play wherever the coaches tell me to play.”

Mike Dodd, who won in his head coaching debut, liked what he saw from

Hayward.

“Adam played really hard on both sides of the ball, and that’s all you

can ask for,” he said. “That was a nice start to the season for him.”